Conveyer system



A ril 30, 1935. c. R; HUGHES douvEYER SYSTEM Filed Feb. 19, 1934 5 sheets-sheet 1 K inhu pthr April 30, 1935 c. R. HUGHES CONVEITIBR- SYSTEM Filed 'FeB. 19, 1934 a Sheets- Sheet 2 T April 30,1935. V

c. R. HUGHES CONVEYER SYSTEM Filed Feb. 19, 1954 s Sheets-Sheet s Patented Apr. 30, 1935 CONVEYER SYSTEM Charles R. Hughes, Altoona, Pa., assignor to Albertine M. Hughes, Altoona, Pa.

Application February 19, 1934, Serial No. 712,029

6 Claims. (Cl. 198-88) This invention relates to a combination of endless belt conveyers of the type used to carry material from their receiving ends to their discharge ends, the said combination being designed to give new uses to this type of equipment, 'more especially in coal mines.

The particular 'object of the combination is to embody in the design and arrangement of parts, all the advantages now embodied in sectional extensible conveyers, at the same time accomplishing extensibility in the direction of length, without in any way tearing down, dismembering or breaking up the conveyers into'their sectional parts, neither disconnecting nor elongating the belts or in any wise altering the number of parts during the act of extending the over all distance between the receiving and discharging ends of the combination.

A second object is to provide means for shortening the distance between the receiving end and the discharging ends of the combination of conveyers, without removing sections of the frame and/or belt.

A third object is to provide a means for extending or shortening the'distance spanned by the conveyers in combination while they are transporting material.

A .i'ourth "object is to provide a means for changing the positions of the discharge ends of intermediate conveyers in the combination without breaking up any of the associated conveyers into their several sections.

A fifth object is to provide a means for altering the positic s of the discharge ends of intermediate conveyers in the combination, without shifting the receiving ends of the initial conveyc-rs of the said combinations, and without the addition or subtraction of sections of frame or belt, or in any wise altering the construction of the said conveyers in the process.

Asixth object is to provide a means for imparting motion to the receiving ends of the initial conveyers in a series of conveyers in comspaced positions, thereby to avoid the necessity of breaking up the parallel conveyers into their component sections to change'their lengths, together with a change in position of their discharge ends, when the main conveyer is moved to a new position.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims, it being understood that changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred forms of the invention have been shown.

In said drawings Figure l is a plan view showing in diagram a portion of a mine equipped with all of the conveyers utilized in connection with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the main sectional conveyer.

Figure 3 is a side elevation thereof.

Figure 4-is a plan view of the superposed, intermediate, telescoping conveyers.

Figure 5 is a side elevation thereof.

Figure 6 is a side elevation of a portion of the superposed conveyer construction showing an alternate construction.

Figure 7 is a plan view of the initial, floating conveyer.

Figure 8 is a side elevation thereof.

Figure 9 is a section on line 9, Fig. :e 3.

Figure 10 is a section on the line ill'-lt, Figure 5. 1

In all of the figures the construction has been illustrated more or less in diagram. In Figure 1 the main conveyer has been indicated at A while the lower section of the intermediate, superposed, v

telescoping conveyers has been indicated at B.

The upper section of the superposed, telescopingf Cit ' several sections are detachably joined at their ends by suitable coupling means indicated generally at 5 and one of the sections, 2, constitutes the end portion of the main conveyer and is upwardly inclined as shown at 6.

' A drive roller 1 is journalled in the upper end of the inclined portion and a driven roller 4 is supported in the free end portion of the end frame I at the other end of the conveyer. This driven roller can be mounted in adjustable bearings 9.

Both rollers I and 8 are engaged by an endless belt l extending longitudinally of the main conveyer structure and supported at intermediate points by upper belt rollers II and lower belt rollers l2.

A motor I3 is carried. by the frame 2 and is provided with any suitable driving means such as a chain and sprocket mechanism l4, for operating the roller I and driving the belt Ill so as to convey material longitudinally of the sections I and upwardly along section 2 to its upper or discharge end. This end is sufliciently elevated to allow the delivered material to fall into cars J mounted on a track K in one of the entries E.

The main conveyer A is adapted to be located where it can transfer material from the intermediate conveyers B and C to the cars J. At those points where the main conveyer extends across the mine rooms F, they are adapted to receive material from the intermediate conveyers located in those rooms. Each intermediate conveyer consists of upper and lower independently movable telescopically connected members. Two parallel tracks of different gages and arranged one within the other are laid 'in each room, these tracks being indicated at l5 and I6 respectively. The track I! is engaged by wheels II supporting the sections i8 and I9 of the lower member B of the intermediate conveyer. These sections, which are of fabricated frames, are detachably joined at their ends in any suitable manner as indicated generally at 20 and the end section l9 has its up-: per portion inclined upwardly as shown at 2| so as to provide an elevated delivery end adapted to overlie-main conveyer A as illustrated in Figure 5.

A driving roller 22 is journalled in the raised end of member 2| while a driven roller 23 is Journalled in the far end of the lower conveyer B. The roller 23 is preferably supported by adjustable bearings 24. An endless belt 25 is mounted on the rollers 22 .and 23 and is adapted to be supported at intermediate points by rollers similar to those indicated at H and i2 in Figures 2 and 3.

A motor 26 is carriedby the section I! of conveyer B and is adapted to transmit motion through chain and sprocket mechanism 21 or the like to roller 22. Thus the belt 25 can be driven continuously for the purpose of conveying material longitudinally of conveyer B and depositing it upon the main conveyer A.

The upper conveyer C of the telescopic inter-.

mediate conveyer is also formed of fabricated frames made up into sections 28, 29 and III.

These sections are detachably connected at their. ends by any suitable means, as indicated at 3|,

and one or more sections at one end of the condistances to permit the two conveyers B and C to move longitudinally relative to each other .while in lapping relation.

A driving roller 34 is iournalled in the end section 3|! and a driven roller 34 is journalled in the remote end of said conveyer structure, this lat ter roller being supported preferably by adjustable bearings II. An endless belt 38 is mounted on the rollers 35 and 38 and extends longitudinally of the frame sections forming the conveyer structure C and this belt can be supported at intermediate points by upper and lower rollers such as have been illustrated at H and i2 in Figures 2 and 3. It is to be understood of course that an intermediate section 2! can be inclined for the purpose of Joining the elevated sections ll and those sections 28 at a lower level.

A motor 29 is carried by the end section 24 and is adapted to transmit motions through chain and sprocket mechanism 4| or the like to the roller 85. Thus belt 34 can be driven for the purpose of conveying material along the sections 28, 29 and-3E and delivering it by gravity onto the belt 25 extending thereunder.

Instead of providing separate belts for the two conveyers B and C a single belt 4| could be used as illustrated in Figure 6. In said figure the lower member of the intermediate conveyer has been indicated at 13' while the upper member has been indicated at C'. The lower member is provided with a drive roller 42 and a driven roller 43. Belt 4| is extended under these rollers and thence upwardly between guide rollers 44 car ried by the conveyer C. The belt then extends in opposite directions from these rollers and around-suitabb' located rollers 4| and 44 at the ends of conveyer C'. Thus while conveyers B and C are free to move relative to each other. those portions of the belt carried by the respective conveyer frames will always be properly positioned to transfer material from conveyer C to conveyer B.

The receiving ends of the intermediate con-, veyers are adapted to be equipped with initial floating conveyers indicated at D. these conveyers being located at both the advancing and retreating faces H and I respectively of the rooms.

As shown in Figures 7 and 8 each floating conveyer includes a carriage 41 adapted to stranddie the adjacent conveyer C, this carriage being supported by the wheels 48 which engage the rails of track l6. One end of the frame 4! of conveyer D is extended under an overhanging portion 50 of carriage 41 and is connected thereto by a swivel it. This end is in the form of a hopper 42 adapted to overlie belt 24. An endlem belt I3 is extended longitudinally of the frame 4! and a motor 54 carried by said frame is adapted to transmit motion through a chain and sprocket mechanism 55 or the like to the belt. That end of the frame 49 remote from carriage 41 can be supported by any suitable means such as a standard 56 or the like.

It will be understood that'when the several conveyers are assembled the floating conveyer D can be adjusted angularly to any position most advantageous for receiving material. When in any of these positions the actuation of the belt 53 will result in conveying the material thereon to hopper "through which it will be discharged onto belt 3! and carried to the delivery end-of conveyer C. There the material will be dropped onto belt 25 and carried to the delivery end of conveyer B where the material will be dropped onto the main conveyer belt I and carried to the waiting cars J. v

It will be understood that all of the belts herein referred to can be of am preferred constructions.

They can be made of leather or fabric or metal or can be made of chains. connected by scraping cleats. Such constructions are so obvious that it has not been deemed necessary to illustrate them.

Since the combination of conveyers has been designed to operate in a system of mining coal called a (Jo-extensive room system, as disclosed by my copending application No. 678,268. a description of the method of using the conveyers will be made in connection therewith by use of Figure l.

Mine rails are laid in the cross-cut, to the gage of the wheels on main conveyer A. The sections of frame of the main conveyer then are rolled into position in cross-cut and joined 'end to end to form a continuous frame to carry the endless belt ii. The said frame is of suificient length to in-' tercept all points of contact with the conveyers B, the discharge end of the same being positioned at a point on the entry E, so as to discharge material into cars J, which pass along their track beneath said discharge end. The belt Hi is then passed around the driving pulley I and the pulley 8, over the rollers ii and i2, and its ends joined.

Mine rails i5 and it are next laid in the rooms F on both sides of the main conveyer, the narrow gage track being centered within the wide gage track It. The lower conveyers B I are mounted section by section, end to end, on the narrow gage tracks I5 on either side of the main conveyers; the sections are joined to form a continuous frame, each individual lower conveyer having a discharge end inclining upward over the main conveyer and positioned to discharge material thereon; the belts are mounted on the frames over the pulleys and rollers, the motors connected and they are ready for operation.

The upper conveyers C are mounted in a similar manner on the wide gage tracks it to straddle the lower conveyers B throughout most of their length. They are positioned to discharge material onto the lower conveyers all along their length except the inclined portions 2!. The receiving end of each upper conveyer C is depressed to the level of the lower conveyer B and the wheels of the depressed end engage the narrow gage track I5.

Over the depressed end of the upper conveyer C is next arranged the carriage 11 with wheels t8 engaging the wide gage track it.

With the parts assembled as described the combination of conveyers is complete and ready to assume its first position. The receiving end of the initial floating conveyer D is adjacent to the advancing face H; the upper conveyer C is fully telescoped over the lower conveyer B so they overlap to produce their shortest overall length; the discharge end of the lower conveyer B is over the belt of the main conveyer A and the discharge end of the main conveyer is over cars J on the entry. On the retreating face I the receiving end of the initial floating conveyer D is adjacent thereto; the upper conveyer C is fully extended into the position of maximum length overall, with its discharge end at the receiving end of the lower conveyer B; and the discharge end of the lower conveyer B is over the belt of the main conveyer A.

The loading of coal now begins. The telescopic conveyers BC on the advancing side are gradually extended to their full length overall as the material immediately before them recedes from the main conveyer A, and other telescopic conveyers 3-0 are gradually moved together on the retreating-side'I of the main conveyer A as the material gradually recedes toward the main conveyer, and until they reach their shortest overall length. When the limits of extendibility and contractability respectively are reached, the main conveyer is moved to a new position further .toward the advancing face H. It may be noted here, that the extendibility or overlap of the conveyers B and C is limited only by the frictional resistance of the endless belt and traction of wheels on rails. The independent mounting of the upper and lower conveyers permits light construction and great extendibility.

To make the move, all ,of the lower conveyers B on theadvancing side of the main conveyer A are rolled on their tracks beneath the upper sections C until the two are fully telescoped. The main conveyer A is then'dismantled and moved section at a time to its new position and reassembled. The lower conveyers B on the retreating side are then rolled on their tracks until the two are in fully extended positions with their discharge ends once more over the main conveyer belt. A repetition of the procedure outlined above accomplishes all that is set forth in objects to l inclusive heretofore stated.

The foregoing arrangement permits great improvement in the use of room conveyers in coal mines. For comparison let a main conveyer be pictured with the ordinary type of sectional extendible room conveyer disposed on either side of it. Regardless of whether the two faces on either side of the mainconveyer both advance away from or retreat toward the main conveyer or oneiadvances and the other retreats, it will be necessary to constantly insert and remove sections of frame, pan and belt to lengthen or shorten them as the case requires. This causes an interruption in the process of loading material, is a waste of time and labor and none of the first, second or third objects herein recited can be accomplished by the use of the ordinary type of sectional conveyer.

Suppose again, that the sectional room con-' veyers have reached their limits of extendibility and contractability respectively, and the main conveyer must be moved. Then all of the sectional room conveyers as well as the mainconveyer must be torn apart and dismantled to allow the change of position of the main contherefore cannot be used to accomplish the fourth, fifth'and seventh objects which have been stated.

Suppose again, the ordinary type of room conveyer has an auxiliary face conveyer operating at the face in conjunction with it. These. face conveyers are disposed parallel to the'straight face of the room and on the floor of the room. The room conveyer is thrown to one side of the room center so one face conveyer will suffice. As the room conveyer is extended by adding sections, the face conveyer is slid forward on the floor in pace with the advancement. There are many disadvantages to this arrangement as compared to a floating conveyer operating with a superposed conveyer, e. g.

1-Onc'e having been established on one side of a room conveyer, a face conveyer cannot be switched to the other side without taking it apart.

2-If the room is to be narrowed to road width, the face conveyer cannot be used at all in the narrow place if it has been designed to operate in the wider place.

31f the room is to be narrowed on one side of the room conveyer and widened on the other. as would be the case if the gob side were being changed. the face conveyer cannot be used at all during the change.

4If the room conveyer is in the centre of the room instead of to one side, one face conveyer cannot serve both sides of the room.

5-When the face of a room is cut circular by an arc-wall cutting machine, the face conveyer cannot parallel the face and hence cannot be advantageously used.

These disadvantages do not apply to the floating conveyer D which will operate effectively under all of the above conditions because of its swivel mounting on a carriage which permits unrestricted movement of its receiving end. maintaining automatically the position of its discharge end above the belt of the superposed conveyer. The face conveyer does not meet the sixth object mentioned.

For comparison let it be supposed that a main conveyer has disposed on both sides room conveyers of the type which consists of two sections.--a lower section and an upper section,- the lower section being an ordinary sectional room conveyer and the upper section being mounted on two pairs of wheels, one pair bearing on the floor of the room and the other pair bearing on rails on top of the lower section.

This typeof room conveyer has disadvantages which the superposed conveyers do not have. Its limitations are principally due to structural difficulties. As will be seen the upper section has two point support. It therefore acts as a beam. its length is limited by two considerations:

L-By its strength as a beam.

2-By the ability of the lower section to support a limited weight within the meaning of its function as a portable sectional extendible conveyer.

One of the prime objectives of room conveyer construction, is to reduce its weight to a minimum, because there are times in the initial set up.inthe extension thereof, and in the dismantling. when its sections must be moved by hand. Heavy construction is out of the question if the pieces are to be moved in the restricted space of a coal mine. Therefore the upper beam conveyer must be light. It must be light for the additional reason that it must be removed from off the top of the lower section when sections are to be added to the latter and when the two are to be moved to another location. .The beam must be light enough to be transported about. It must also be light enough to be moved in the room to gain extension of the overall length of the two. As a practical matter the extendibility of the type of conveyer described is very limited and it cannot be used where the position of the main conveyer must be changed a relatively long distance, say 200 feet. It is not possible for a beam 200 feet' long to function in a coal mine on top of a sectional portable room conveyer. Therefore this type of conveyer cannot satisfy the seven ob- Jectives herein mentioned. superposed conveyers of the present construction with an overlap of 200 feet will operate very effectively, and therefore has uses which the other type does not have.

In all of the descriptions given of the use of the sup rposed conveyers it is to be understood that the floating conveyer D can be omitted from the combination without in any way affecting the accomplishments of most of the objects of this invention.

What is claimed is: g

l. A system of endless belt conveyers, including a. main sectional conveyer mounted on wheels for rolling. superposed sectional conveyers disposed on either or both sides of the main conveyer and extended laterally thereto. each of the said sectional conveyers being composed of a lower and an upper section parallel to each other one above the other, mounted on' wheels for rolling and so positioned that the lower section can be telescoped under the upper section for the greater part of their respective lengths, the said two sections being entirely independent of each other as to support and actuation of their respective parts; and a floating conveyer free to move in any direction at its receiving end, a wheeled carriage supporting the other end and positioned to straddle the upper superposed conveyer along a portion of its length. yet inde-- pendent therefrom, the said carriage supporting the discharge end of the said floating conveyer swivelly at all times above the belt of the upper superposed conveyer so that material loaded onto the floating conveyer will be deposited on the depressed end of the upper superposed conveyer.-which transfers it to the lower superposed conveyer, which in turn transfers it to the main conveyer for flnal discharge.

2. A system of endless belt conveyers including a portable main conveyer. portable separable sec.- tions constituting telescopic conveyers for feeding material to the, main conveyer from opposite sides respectively, the conveyer at one side of the main conveyer being extensible and the conveyer at the other side being contractible to coincide with the progress of the advancing and retreating faces respectively of a room intersected by the main conveyer. and a floating conveyer overlying and movable longitudinally of each of the telescopic conveyers, said floating conveyer being shiftable angularly in any direction relative to the telescopic conveyer.

3. A system of endless belt conveyers including a portable main conveyer, portable separable sections constituting a telescopic conveyer for feeding material to the main conveyer from one side thereof, parallel tracks of diflerent gages arranged one within the other for supporting the telescopic conveyer, a carriage straddling and movable longitudinally of the telescopic conveyer. said carriage being mounted on the track of wider gage, a floating conveyer connected to the carriage and movable therewith for delivering material onto the telescopic conveyer, said floating conveyer being movable angularly relative to the carriage, and a support for that end of the floating conveyer remote from the carriage.

4. A system of endless belt conveyers, including a main sectional conveyer mounted on wheels for rolling, sectional conveyers disposed on either so positioned that the lower section can be moved under the upper section for the greater part of their respective lengths, the said two sections being entirely independent of each other as to support and actuation of their respective parts for independent advancement or retraction of either or both ends of each side conveyer without interference with the advance of material being conveyed thereby.

5. In a conveying system a main conveyer mounted on wheels for rolling, a sectional con-' veyer leading to one side of the main conveyer and overlapping the same, said sectional conveyer comprising a lower delivering section and an upper receiving section, said sections being independently mounted and having lapping, parallel portions, each section being mounted on wheels for rolling and being so positioned that the lower delivering section can be moved under the upper receiving section for the greater portion of their respective'lengths to advance or retract either or both sections of the conveyer independently of each other and 'without interference with the advance of material being carried by the conveyer.

6. In a conveyer system a conveyer including a lower delivery section, wheels for movably supporting the same, an upper receiving section,

wheels for movably supporting the same, each section being supported independently of the other and said sections having parallel lapping portions, said wheels supporting each section for bodily movement longitudinally to advance or retract independently of the other section without interference with the advance of material on the conveyer, and without altering the structural characteristics of the conveyer.

CHARLES R. HUGHES. 

